Tackle My Heart
by RoseLaurel
Summary: Reid finds himself in a hopeless situation that Garcia proposes to get him out of with 5 simple steps. Can she help her baby genius, or is Morgan more dense than we all thought? WARNING! Contains slash, sexual situations, tackling, and Garcia's plans. (Updated re-launch of original Tackle My Heart)
1. Joining Forces

_Hello! This story came about in quite an interesting way... a friend and I were discussing plot ideas for Criminal Minds, I had her laptop and started writing (the beginning you will hopefully go on to read shortly) and decided our little idea would become a one shot. As I was writing the one shot, it slowly evolved into an idea for a short chapter fic... OK, maybe it's not that interesting... but the story is! So, with out further ado, Read, Enjoy, Review ^_^_

_]-{~#~}-[_

Tackle My Heart

Reid grunted as his lithe body collided with the hard ground below, feeling his bones crunch beneath him at the sudden contact. Pain exploded from his hip up across his back, and he found himself gasping for the air that had been knocked from him. Wide brown doe eyes connected with those of the male hovering above him, pinning him to the cold wood below. They lay there for a moment before Reid, regulating his breathing, pushed the much heavier male off with a groan.

"What the hell, Morgan!" The darker male grinned, dragging himself to his feet and offering a hand to the embarrassed man, who swatted it away.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy, it's not my fault you suck at the defensive stance."

"I had my back turned!"

"Never turn your back on an UnSub."

"You're not an UnSub! You're MORGAN!" Morgan's smirk didn't falter as he watched his flustered co worker stumble to his feet and sulk from the training gym, glowering with all the fierceness and venom of a new born kitten.

"And it's that kind of attitude that gets you in trouble all the time." A now indignant new born kitten.

"I am _not_ in trouble _all _the time!" the elder profiler just snorted in reply, making his way into the bullpen where the rest of the team, who had evidently heard that last comment from Reid, were staring at them with raised eyebrows. "What?" Hotch cleared his throat, a signal for everyone to go back to what they were doing – which they immediately acknowledged. Pouting, the young genius made his way to his own desk after grabbing his sugar laced coffee from the break room, wincing as he sat. Prentiss coughed suggestively

"And what have you two been up to?" receiving only grumbles from the skinny brunette, she switched her gaze to Morgan, whose grin still hadn't faded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Ooooooh its like THAT is it?" She teased, wiggling her eyebrows and causing the only just calmed Dr Reid to blush.

"What? No! W-we were just tackling!"

"Is that what they're calling it now? 'Tackling'?" Morgan chuckled as he watched the banter between his two co workers, debating how long he could wait to step in before Hotch appeared from no where to reprimand them (As Hotch was inclined to do on a rainy afternoon in the office).

"Emily! Morgan was just teaching me-"

"I'm sure Morgan could teach you a lot." The genius seemed to calm, and Morgan felt the conversation coming to a soft end.

"Well... not really... I already have most of the knowledge, he just offered to help with the practical aspect- ...why are you laughing?" Or not. Morgan joined the cackling that filled the bullpen as Spencer's face reddened in realisation, and Emily fell off of her chair in stitches.

"Ok, Ok, that's enough" Morgan panted, waiting for Emily's laughter to subside "I was just trying to teach Reid how to defend himself." Both girl and genius began to relax as Morgan clarified the issue "Besides, come on Emily, if I was going to take anyone to the gym for those reasons don't you think I'd have better taste than Reid?" the laughter had stopped completely now, but Morgan didn't notice Emily's eyes narrow at him, or the hurt in Reid's eyes that reminded her of a kicked puppy.

"You call him Pretty Boy-"

"Yeah, but I like my bones with a bit of meat on them. And preferably some hot curves..." Then, grinning good naturedly, he had to add "I'm not keen on the 'walking encyclopedia' type."

"We get your point, Morgan!" Reid snapped, rising to his feet "I do not need you to point out my every inadequacy and shove it in my face!" Emily watched as Reid left the bullpen, before turning furiously to Morgan.

"What was that all about?"

"Beats me. Guess he was a little-"

"Not him! You!" the dark male seemed dazed before casting a puzzled frown at his co-worker.

"Me?"

"Yes, You! You know how sensitive Reid is about himself. 'Walking Encyclopedia'! You are supposed to be his best friend!" standing abruptly Emily set off in search of her distressed friend, wishing she could say she had no hand in causing that look that had been in his eyes. After checking the break room, and peaking into JJs office, Emily decided to see if she couldn't persuade Garcia to check the security system in order to find the brunette…

"He said that?" The usually unwavering woman winced as she came to the conclusion Garcia already knew what was going on. Quietly as she could she slipped through the cracked door, shutting it behind her, and crept forward into Garcia's lair.

"Reid, there you are! I wanted to apologise-" she couldn't bring herself to continue as a pair of puffy red eyes glanced up at here… Reid had been crying? "Spencer… I…"

"Emily!" Jumping, said female stood to attention "Just the person I wanted to see!"

"Garcia, I didn't mean to-"

"Tell me that my chocolate Adonis did NOT just say all those mean things to my baby genius!"

"He was out of line, I'm sure he's sorry, Spencer, I didn't mean to-"

"He doesn't have to be sorry… its not his fault I'm-"

"DON'T say it, Spencer! You are NOT inadequate, you are perfect, he was just being a jerk."

"Am I missing something?" Prentiss watched as the eccentric blonde turned to their young friend, her expression a cross between asking his permission and pleading for it. He just nodded miserably, to which Garcia forced Emily to sit as she checked outside the door to see if the coast was clear.

"Ok, Emily, this information can NOT leave the three of us, you are hereby sworn to secrecy and if you were to compromise this promise I shall do unspeakable things to your credit rating."

"Ok, ok, I promise!" Spencer looked as if he had lost the will to live as Garcia whispered his secret to Prentiss.

"...No way..." the blonde nodded "So... Reid... Spencer... is gay?"

"Bisexual" Spencer corrected, only to be brushed off.

"And he's in love with Morgan? ...I didn't see that one coming..." A thought crossed her mind, and Emily was suddenly reminded of her own part in Spencer's harsh 'rejection'. "Spencer..."

"So here is the plan, my lovelies!"

"Plan?" The pair exclaimed in unison, staring at Penelope.

"Yes, plan. If our darling Derek can't see what he's missing out on, we'll have to make him see..."

"Penelope-"

"Hush, Baby Genius, and listen. My plan will succeed in one of two things: Making Derek Morgan fall hopelessly in love with you or realise his love for you, or help you to move on and find someone to be happy with."

"But..."

"But? Can you see fault in my plan? Trust me, Spencer, you're something special and you deserve to be happy. 5 steps, that's all, and if after 5 steps my plan hasn't worked, you can back out."

"...Ok."

"Besides- wait... what?"

"Ok." Penelope smiled and looked to Emily, who nodded her agreement. Together, these girls were going to change Spencer's life. They just didn't know how big the change would be just yet.

_]-{~#~}-[_

_Ok, the beginning of this chapter wrote itself... the end, however, was not so nice. Please review, I'd love to hear from you._


	2. Reid-volution

"_**If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it." ~Albert Einstein**_

=\}'|'{/=

Spencer giggled as four colourful blurs zipped across his living room, tumbling over one another as they went. Setting down the small dish he had in his hands, he stood there for a moment observing the four fluffy bundles that wobbled over to it to lap up the cool water. Their mother, a beautiful Egyptian Mau, rubbed against his legs, glad that her children were no longer tugging at her tail and whiskers. Suddenly her fur stood on end, she jumped and hissed at the door as a tune rattled off in knocks. Blinking in surprise Spencer answered it, barely registering that it was Penelope and Emily as they bustled in and began chatting away at warp speed. Closing the door quickly, the young genius tore himself out of his daze to swipe a kitten from under Prentiss' foot.

"Ah! ...Aww... I didn't know you kept kittens, Reid... how old are they?" Emily cooed

"4 and a half weeks..."

"Is this the mummy?" Garcia enquired as the adult cat took advantage of the sudden attention she was being given. Spencer nodded, still unsure how he felt about the invasion of his personal space.

"How long have you had her?"

"What breed is she?"

"She's 8 years old... I got her when she was 1, and she's a silver Egyptian Mau." Garcia and Emily stood in silence, pondering this new information. Naturally, Garcia was the first to break the silence

"You never told us you had a cat…" amused, he raised an eyebrow

"You never asked."

"How could I not know you have a cat? And kittens?" Spencer couldn't help but smirk at this.

"Not everything about me is on my file, Garcia." Again, the girls found themselves reeling with questions as realisation dawned on them – they didn't know Spencer as well as they thought they did.

"What's her name?"

"Anita"

'He even gave his cat a normal name…' Emily thought, before Spencer opened his mouth once again

"Did you know Anita Roberts was the 49th most-cited scientist in the world and the second most-cited female scientist as of 2005? She was a molecular biologist who made pioneering observations of a protein, TGF-β, that is critical in healing wounds and bone fractures and that has a dual role in blocking or stimulating cancers! She did this by isolating the protein from bovine kidney tissue and compared her results with TGF-β taken from human blood platelets and placental tissue. Institute researchers then began a series of experiments to determine the protein's characteristics. TGF-β was later shown to have an effect on regulation of the heartbeat and the response of the eye to aging-"

'Or not…' Emily couldn't help but sigh as she looked to Garcia to close the floodgate of information.

"That's lovely, Spencer darling, but we have plans for today, of course you could always stay here with your kittens and we'll go shopping for you…" Spencer went from excitably explaining the many achievements of Anita Roberts to deadpan in 0.5 seconds flat.

"There is no way in hell I am letting you two go shopping for me." After the initial shock of Spencer's reaction faded, Garcia broke out into a grin

"Then it's decided. You're coming shopping with us."

"W-what? I did not agree to that-" the young genius' splutters were ignored as Garcia continued to stroke Anita thoughtfully, already planning their route around the mall and it's many clothes stores.

"What do you do with them when you're away, Reid?" Emily asked, watching, intrigued as the three small bundles roamed the living room, and the one in Reid's arms began to suckle at his finger.

"Mrs. Martial watches them for me." He replied, as if stating the obvious, before gathering the little furry creatures into his arms. He already had the golden one in his hold, and plucked the smoky kit easily from its place in front of the CD rack. He then looked around to find the two little silver balls of fun, one of which had climbed a stack of books and was looking very proud of itself, whilst the other sat watching, mewing now and then in what seemed like encouragement. Sighing, Spencer picked up the silver kittens and took them into a room next to his. Anita, whether in knowing or out of curiosity for her litter, stood and trotted after her owner, who gently placed the babes in a wicker cat basket before quickly yet cautiously closing the door.

"Orville is definitely going to be the most trouble as he grows up…"the brunette commented, earning him a raised eyebrow from his fellow field agent.

"Orville?"

"Yes, Did you know-" before the ramblings could begin, the young genius found himself being forced into his shoes, coat and out of his apartment, arriving in the back seat of 'Esther' in less than 5 minutes. "…You two would make very good kidnappers…"

"Why thank you, sweet cheeks."

"…I'm not sure that was a compliment" Spencer groaned, sinking down into the seat as Garcia sped down the road in the direction of the mall, ignoring any pleas, protests or excuses from their worried friend.

=\}'|'{/=

"I am NOT coming out!"

The girls sighed, rolling their eyes as they reminded Spencer that he was only behind a curtain – it didn't matter to them whether he was dressed or not, they would pull it back. Gingerly, a set of fingers curled around the tacky red and green striped curtain, moving it slowly aside... and a man stepped out that Emily, for a moment, didn't quite recognize.

"...Spencer?"

"O... M... G... I so have to get you to do a cat walk later..." Spencer sighed, running his fingers through his hair in embarrassment as the girls examined him, cooing and commenting as they walked around him like vultures. He felt his face heat up even further as they began plucking at his clothes and touching, to which he quickly moved from their grasp, bumping into one of the shop assistants and causing him to drop the clothes hangers he was carrying.

"Oops… s-sorry…" he stuttered, helping the assistant pick up what had been dropped.

"Its fine" the man nodded, dark eyes wandering over Spencer's outfit as he gathered up the fallen items, before taking the last hanger from the brunette, giving a small smile and leaving to carry on his work.

After choosing a couple of new mix-and-match outfits, Garcia paid, despite Spencer's protests, and made him change into one of his 'new looks' before they went for lunch. Not that he was bothered about lunch... it was the all mighty promised coffee that would come with his lunch that he needed. So that's how he found himself, cheeks flushed an 'adorable' pink from the number of stares he received, walking behind the two excitably chattering females in a pair of dark blue-almost black jeans that, according to his companions, 'fitted nicely to show off the curve off his ass without hugging too tightly', and a duck egg blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, top 3 buttons open to show his 'well defined' collarbones. The young genius did his best to ignore the looks he was getting, and tried to imagine that hit he just felt across his ass was an accident as he moved closer to the two women he was with.

After lunch, coffee and a couple more clothes stores, the three made their way back to Spencer's apartment. No sooner had the door closed both women begged Spencer to give them a private fashion show in his living room.

"But… no… what if we have a case?" He wasn't used to receiving so much attention, especially not in his own home.

"We won't, don't worry." Garcia reassured, dying to see how her baby would look in the white shirt she had picked out for him. It had no collar, so it showed off the top of his shoulders, and came down like a V-neck so you could almost see his Pecs.

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Spencer, honey, we will not get a call out to a case tonight. I'm positive." Spencer gave an undignified snort, surprising the girls for the umpteenth time that day.

"Only fools are positive." Emily raised an eyebrow

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, I'm positive!..." silence filled the room as Spencer, with an IQ of 187, stared dumb-founded, before pouting and whining childishly

"I can't believe I fell for that!" The girls just giggled, calling out their preferences as their friend sulked off to change.

"The white shirt that shows off your shoulders!"

"No, the green cardigan!" rolling his eyes, Spencer left them arguing over his choice of clothes, changed, and crept out of his bedroom to see both waiting eagerly on his sofa, watching like hawks.

"…Wow…" Garcia's jaw dropped

"You can say that again…!" the darker woman gasped

"…Wow…" Spencer had put on Garcia's choice, a white shirt which opened around 2 to 3 cm to show a little of his chest, the top of the 'collar' cutting off just below his collarbones, with Emily's pick over the top – a khaki green cardigan-like top, which was also a V neck and opened a little wider than the white shirt, but didn't go down as far. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, so the white cuffs folded over that of the cardigans. With them he wore a pair of midnight-blue jeans in the same style as those he had been wearing previously, and his comfy white trainers. He smiled slightly as he observed the girls reactions, before frowning at Emily's sheepish look.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeahh… uh… we have a case…"

"What? I need to change-" Garcia hushed him, grabbing his go bag and forcing him out of the apartment, Prentiss following close behind.

"Despite what my dreamland fantasies would love, Derek Morgan is not stalking you or recording your every move, therefore for him to see your new look, you will have to be _wearing_ said look when you see him." Both Spencer and Emily merely stared.

"You have fantasies about Derek stalking me?"

"Don't you?" coughing and spluttering, Spencer found himself being escorted out the building, stopping only to inform Mrs. Marshall that he would be on a case, and would be much obliged if she could watch Anita and the kittens.

=\}'|'{/=

Hotch sighed, glancing at the clock. He tried to focus his attention anywhere other than Morgan drumming his fingers impatiently on the table. JJ and Rossi exchanged glances before Emily burst into the room and slid into a chair.

"Something wrong?" Rossi enquired. Prentiss shook her head, glancing at the door, which caused everyone else to follow her gaze as though expecting some three-headed monster to enter after her. Instead they could only gasp as Reid gets ushered through by one Penelope Garcia.

"Garcia take you shopping?" Rossi smirked, his amusement growing as his young co-worker blushed and nodded timidly.

"Shoulda known my baby girl had something to do with this." Morgan grinned "She's quite the miracle worker." Spencer tried not to seem taken back by this comment, but the positive glow he had developed over the course of the day faded in less time than it had taken him to drink his lunchtime coffee. Crossing the room to sit with Emily, he opened his mouth to try and come up with a snarky come back, but was thankfully interrupted by Hotch.

"Can we focus on the case?" the unit chief instructed, snapping out of his shock and opening the case file. Everyone just nodded in agreement and got down to business, not noticing Garcia's glare penetrating Morgan's skull as she left the room to plot her next step in her lair…

"_**The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this." ~Mark Twain**_

=\}'|'{/=

_What do people think of the descriptions of Reid's new sexy looks? Too much? I will write the case, but it will likely be very brief, and to the point, as well as focusing on Reid. __Well, as always, I hope you enjoyed, please don't hesitate to review :) I would love to hear any ideas/queries/comments you may have!_


	3. Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies P1

_Thank you so much for all the well-wishes this story is getting, I am so happy that you support its revival! :D I remember doing quite a bit of research for this chapter, though I doubt I used a lot of it. The facts were correct at the time._

~#/::\#~

_(Part One)_

"_**In America sex is an obsession, in other parts of the world it is a fact." ~Marlene Dietrich **_

The jet ride was quick and uneventful. 9 Black females found dead, all with different body parts missing, all dumped in different locations. The only common factor was that they were black, so the media was pushing 'Hate Crime'. The team discussed the details of the case, putting some preliminary ideas together and forming a plan, although the plan mostly consisted of how to deal with pushy media and a short-staffed police station. They landed in Plymouth, North Carolina and went straight to the hotel, a delayed take off and arrival setting them back so far that there was little they could do straight away. So Hotch picked up the keys from the reception desk and assigned everyone their rooms. The usual arrangement, JJ and Emily, Rossi and Hotch, Morgan and Reid. Only this time it was different, because another member of the team knew about Reid's formerly hidden feelings. Emily winked at Reid as she followed JJ to their room, and he could only sigh as he thought of the number of inappropriate comments she would make once the case had finished. No sooner had he reached the room he and Morgan were to share the sound of Linkin Park's 'Numb' Piano instrumental drifted from his pocket. Morgan raised an eyebrow, evidently recognising the tune but being unable to put a name to it before the song stopped and Reid answered wearily

"Reid."

"Don't say my name!"

"Wha-"

"Is he in the room with you?" rolling his eyes, the young genius excused himself and made a beeline to the adjoining bathroom.

"Garcia, it's midnight, can't this wait?"

"I just wanted to make sure my baby was ok! That Derek Morgan is really beginning to ruffle my-"

"Garcia!"

"Shh… ok. I'll call back tomorrow. But only because you need to be fully rested and look your most scrumptious for Step 2! Night sweetcheeks."

"Step 2? Wait! Garcia! I'm on a case! Garcia!" realising he was getting no where on the phone to somebody who had already hung up, Spencer quickly washed before switching places with Morgan and getting changed. Garcia was right about one thing… he would need his sleep if he was going to be working at his best tomorrow. To solve the case, that is. Not for 'Step 2'. To catch an UnSub. Not to catch Derek-

"Morgan?" he squeaked, trying to stop his eyes from lingering on the artistically sculpted, muscular, _naked_ chest belonging to his co worker, who emerged from the shower in nothing but a towel.

"Hm? Something wrong, Kid?"

"…" not trusting his voice, Spencer just shook his head and turned away. His mind, however, was not so polite, and made pictures to match the sound of rustling clothes and the creaking mattress behind him.

'Thank God there are two separate beds…'

The creaking continued as Derek-_Morgan_… made himself comfortable, leaving Spencer silently cursing his Eidetic Memory as images flashed through his mind of the day Garcia found out about his crush… or, more particularly, what he had been _looking at_ the day Garcia found out about his crush…

"Pretty Boy? …Reid?" Great… the last thing he needed was to talk to Morgan. Maybe if he stayed quiet, Morgan would think he was asleep? Yes… after all, it was dark, and even the most seasoned profiler couldn't see in the dark.

"I'm sorry about earlier"

Ha-ha. Seasoned. That made them sound like some sort of fancy restaurant dish.

"I was out of line, and I went too far."

Emily would be a sweet and sour dish… Rossi could be a fancy Italian pasta. JJ would be a strawberry milkshake… Hotch could be a Rock Cake… Garcia, something sweet and saucy…

"I didn't mean to offend you, I should have thought about what I was saying"

Knickerbocker Glory? …Morgan would definitely be something chocolaty… Chocolate Sauce, maybe? Chocolate sauce made everything good.

"And I shouldn't have waited so long before apologising"

He wouldn't mind being the cake… wait! …Why was he even thinking about this? He must be tired… hang on… Morgan was apologising?

"I guess you really are asleep… well… I'll talk to you in the morning then…" Silence settled over the pair before being replaced by Morgan's calming breaths. The last thought on Reid's overworked, evidently _exhausted_ mind as sleep took over was:

Yes. Morgan was definitely driving him crazy.

~#/::\#~

"Reid?"

"…Yes, sir?"

"Is that another Garcia-chosen outfit?" Spencer had awoken before the alarms, and decided there was no point in going back to sleep so carried out his routine as per usual. What was _not _usual, however, was his go-bag, which had been completely re-packed and made him want to scream. It had 'courtesy of Garcia' written all over it! Not literally, of course, or he really would have screamed. Now he was in an SUV with his boss and Rossi, whilst the others followed up separately.

"…sort of…"

"Sort of?" Hotch echoed, wondering who else was in on Reid's sudden make over.

"Prentiss" Hotch should have guessed. "picked out the jeans… and Garcia chose the shirt," the smart, dark jeans and crisp white button up with natural vertical creases, that barely covered his collar bones "I chose the coat myself." Rossi, with lightning reflexes that a man of his age should not possess, quickly laid his hand upon the steering wheel, preventing Hotch from swerving into the car in the adjacent lane. Needless to say, the long, sleeveless black coat which reached halfway down Reid's calves and possessed only 6 buttons between the clavicle and the belly areas was _not_ what they'd consider Reid's taste to be. However, Rossi's reflexes failed as the younger agents phone went off, and he was infinitely glad that there was no car alongside them as the SUV dipped in and out of the next lane.

"And you complain _my_ driving is bad." Reid commented, seemingly oblivious to his co workers shock, and answered his phone.

"Are you looking scrumptious?"

"Did you _re-pack_ my go-bag?"

"Ooh I take it your Socratic answer means yes: you look devilishly edible."

"Devilishly Edible? Garcia that makes no sense whatsoever!" he exclaimed, blushing as both elder profilers raised an eyebrow, and making a mental note not to say anything else that might alert them to the nature of the call.

"Are you ready for Step 2?"

"No, Garcia, we're not at the station yet."

"Don't worry, this will be _very_ subtle, my Junior G-Man."

"_Garcia_ even if you are bored, the _case_ hasn't really started yet." Hotch and Rossi laughed as Reid began to cough and splutter, no doubt at whatever obscenities Garcia was terrorising him with.

Upon reaching the police station, Reid had weighed up the arguments for and against following Garcia's plan, and had come to the decision to approach Emily later about how to execute 'Step 2'. Right now though, they had an UnSub to catch. Introductions were made, and they wasted no time in getting to work. JJ, of course, had the suicidal task of coping with the media, and trying to prevent them from pushing the murders as 'hate crime'. Rossi and Hotch were visiting the first four dumpsites, whilst Prentiss, Morgan and Reid were to meet the lieutenant and go to the last four dump sites.

~#/::\#~

"You must be the FBI." A tall woman with plaited black hair and delicate curves approached them "I'm lieutenant Amelia Sykes…" a smile played across her lips as her eyes fixed on the male before her "and what's _your_ name, cutie?" Morgan grinned; stepping forward to take the woman's outstretched hand.

"Derek Morgan-" Emily bit her lip to contain her laughter at Morgan's expression as the Lieutenant breezed past him and took Spencer's hand in hers.

"Huh? Oh… uh… I'm…"

"Dr Spencer Reid" Emily came to the young mans aid as he gingerly took his hand back from Sykes "And I'm Emily Prentiss. This is where Vicky Rudman was found?" she gestured to the marshy bank of a large body of water to their left. Sykes nodded, keeping her eyes on Reid as she led them to the exact location, one of the many reservoirs coming off of the river.

"There's so much water around here…why dump a body where it can be found? Why not dump it in water? Surely it'd be easier… then you could blame the alligators or something." Emily wondered, glancing around almost paranoid, as though expecting one of aforementioned reptiles to burst up from the water and snatch her down into the murky depths.

"Plymouth has a total area of approximately 3.9 square miles, 0.26% of which is water. And, contrary to popular belief, there aren't that many alligators in North Carolina. There have only been around 0.115 alligator attacks per 1 million people in North Carolina as opposed to Florida's 18.943 per 1 million people. Out of all documented alligator attacks since 1948, there have been 17 fatal attacks in Florida and one fatal attack in Georgia. Additional deaths which were previously reported have been ruled out because the wounds appeared to be post-mortem. The most common cases were lacerations or scratches on the hands, whereas the most common activity attributed to the attack was an attempt to capture, pick up or exhibit the alligator. In fact-"

"Is he always this… _passionate_?" Sykes asked, eyes roaming over Reid's ass as he walked.

"It gets old fast." Morgan stated nonchalantly "Hey, kid, concentrate on the case." Emily glared at Morgan, pushing past him to walk alongside the young genius, who was looking like a kicked puppy.

"Don't lose heart, Reid" Emily comforted as they sifted through the reeds by the bank of one of the many reservoirs.

"Don't lose heart? He's obviously not interested, Emily! I don't know why I let you and Garcia talk me into this in the first place..." hating to see her friend looking so dejected, Prentiss went forward to lay a hand on his shoulder

"LOOK OUT!" she jumped as Lt Sykes's voice pierced through the air, making her bump into Reid, who lost his footing and plunged into the murky waters.

"Reid! Oh my... I'm so sorry" she gasped, helping Spencer out of the water and trying her best not to look too shocked at what she saw. Luckily for him, Spencer had left his coat in the car, but his trousers were now ripped at the bottoms, down one shin and horizontally across one of his thighs, clinging desperately to his ass, whilst his shirt showed that despite being a skinny genius he was actually rather nicely built. Not as muscular as a sportsman or as toned, for that matter, but there was... a defined masculinity about him, something gorgeous that Emily just could not put her finger on. Something that made the absence of bulky muscle unimportant in the wake of his sodden silky hair, pale skin and rich brown orbs, which were now resting on her in an uncertain, self conscious gaze as he stood there dripping.

"Reid... if Morgan doesn't hurry up and pick you up, I may just jump your bones myself." Prentiss smirked as a faint blush crept across the young man's cheeks, and he coughed and spluttered a reply she couldn't quite make out.

"Sorry, false alarm. Is everyone ok?" Sykes asked with fake innocence as she and Morgan rushed over.

"Wow... pretty boy you look-"

"Hot" Sykes grinned, winking at Reid, and making Morgan frown in annoyance.

"Like a drowned rat. Come on, there's no time to be playing around." Reid was infinately glad at that moment that he was wet through, because if he wasn't then the other profilers may have noticed the tears pricking at his eyes as Morgan guided Sykes away, Prentiss close behind, and he followed, like the stupid, faithful puppy he seemed to have become.


	4. Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies P2

_-{\|/}-_

_"Sorry, false alarm. Is everyone ok?" Sykes asked with fake innocence as she and Morgan rushed over._

_"Wow... pretty boy you look-"_

_"Hot" Sykes grinned, winking at Reid, and making Morgan frown in annoyance._

_"Like a drowned rat. Come on, there's no time to be playing around." Reid was infinately glad at that moment that he was wet through, because if he wasn't than the other profilers may have noticed the tears pricking at his eyes as Morgan guided Sykes away, Prentiss close behind, and he followed, like the stupid, faithful puppy he seemed to have become._

-{\|/}-

_(Part 2)_

When the four reached the station, Sykes hooked Reid's arm and lead him to the break room, whilst Prentiss followed Morgan into the empty conference room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"I'm not sure what I make of this at the moment... the dumpsites-"

"We need to talk." Prentiss interrupted, gesturing for the dark male to sit down. Overlooking the gesture, Morgan turned to face his co-worker, confusion written over his face.

"What's this about?"

"I think you know." She paused for a moment "You've been really... mean... to Reid lately. Why?"

"I have not been 'mean' to Reid."

"Yes, you have." Emily stated matter-of-factly "You have been insulting and frankly it really isn't like you. You're usually the one defending him from the jerks... but recently, it's you who has been the jerk." Morgan stared dumbfounded before snapping out of his daze

"Prentiss... I would _never_ do anything to hurt Reid. In fact, I'm insulted that you would even think that I-"

"Is it Sykes?"

"Huh?"

"Are you jealous that Reid is getting all the attention? You're worried that he's muscling in on your turf?"

"What? No!"

"Or maybe it's Sykes that you're jealous of?"

"Why would I be jealous of her?" Morgan rolled his eyes, but Prentiss could see his jaw grinding.

"Because. There is absolutely no denying the fact that Reid. Is. Hot." ignoring her friends attempt to cut her off, Prentiss continued "He is smart, sexy, and getting a lot of attention from both the ladies, and the men. Could it be that the 'great' Derek Morgan is getting a little hot under the collar because he isn't the only one paying heed to our young genius? Because he may not be the most important person in Spencer's life for much longer?"

"That's not fair!" Emily tried to maintain her confident demeanour as she watched the anger flare into Morgan's deep, dark brown eyes.

"What isn't? The truth?" Before the male could reply, both agents jumped as the door swung open and the rest of the team entered, discussing their findings. Morgan sat slowly, pretending that the frown across his handsome face was a product of the pictures laid before him on the table, not the result of Prentiss' hard gaze that rested upon him before turning to tell Hotch of their findings. But as the object of their 'talk' gingerly entered the room, long fingers wrapped around a large coffee mug, he couldn't help but allow his eyes to wander over the skinny frame and think about the past few days.

'I am _not_ jealous of _Reid_... but there is _no way_ that I'm jealous of Lt Sykes... is there? No! Wait... since when did Prentiss call Reid by his first name? Is there something going on there? Well, she has been spending more time around him... not that I care. It just hurts that he wouldn't tell me, is all. He's just a lanky, awkward, socially inept genius. Even so, he's the youngest of the team... a kid. So he doesn't know what he's getting into with Sykes. So I need to protect him... I'm protecting him... aren't I?' Snapping out of his jumbled thoughts, Morgan returned his attention to the details of the case.

"We have 9 victims, 9 different methods, 9 different dumpsites, 9 different body parts missing. Please... _someone_ tell me that they have a linking factor except victimology here?" Hotch sighed exasperated

"Perhaps it is the victimology we should be looking at? Maybe it isn't just the skin colour, but something about these girls that puts them in the same place in the UnSubs mind?" The team's eyes rested on Reid in tired disbelief "I mean, there has to be something linking the victims besides the fact they're all black women, and I'm pretty certain we can rule out hate crime because there is no true, consistent signature, and the UnSub is taking trophies, but never the same trophy... in fact, I would even go as far as suggesting-"

"Reid. We can't afford to lead the investigation on 'suggestions'." A voice cut the young brunette off from his musings, and it took a few minutes for Morgan to realise it was his voice cutting him off... why was he interrupting? But before anyone could comment on it, attention was drawn to a sudden commotion erupting from the lieutenants desk outside the teams borrowed room. Hotch sent Prentiss to see what was happening, whilst JJ went for takeaway.

When Prentiss came back into the room, the noise had calmed down and she was closely followed by Lt Sykes, who flopped down into the chair next to Reid's.

"What was all that about?" Rossi enquired, watching how close Sykes scooted to Reid

"Huh? Oh... that..." Sykes sighed, resting her head wearily on the nervous looking brunettes shoulder, and describing what all the fuss had been.

"Just a woman claiming to be stalked... we had men posted outside her house at one point, but nothing happened. She's pretty well known around here for being a little on the paranoid side"

"With good reason, perhaps?" Prentiss suggested as she slid between Sykes and Reid, much to the policewoman's disdain.

"We don't know. There is no evidence to support stalking claims, besides, she's done a lot to protect herself. Alarms, dogs and the likes... unfortunately, we're just too short staffed at the moment to do much about it." she sighed "We have a murder case to solve. Not the ravings of a paranoid woman." She added irritably when she saw Reid's gaze rest upon the retreating figure of the woman. By now JJ had reappeared, and was also watching the curvy, long legged, dark haired woman pass before putting an array of foods in the centre of the table. Rather than waiting on a takeaway, she had decided to stop at a store and pick up an assortment of sandwiches, baked goods and treats which the entire team was grateful for. Sykes slipped around Emily so she was between Reid and Morgan, laying a hand on Reid's forearm and batting her eyelashes as he rambled off statistics

"59% of female victims and 30% of male stalking victims in North Carolina are stalked by an intimate partner. Sadly, 81% of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also physically assaulted by that partner" the Lt scooted closer until she was practically on his lap, and if he were to look down he would have a full view of her pushed-up cleavage. Unfortunately for Spencer, he did glance down before quickly returning his line of sight to Rossi and Hotch, eyes begging for help from the shocked Alpha males.

"A-also 31% of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also sexually assaulted by that partner" The team tried not to laugh at the awkwardness of the situation, whilst Hotch recovered from his initial disbelief "And the average duration of stalking is 1.8 years-"

"Lt Sykes is right. We're investigating a serial killer, not a stalker, Reid." Morgan stated through gritted teeth... not that he was angry, of course. "And Lt, maybe you should-"

"Come over here for a moment" Hotch came to Reid's aid "I need you to look over something." Sykes huffed before plastering a fake smile over her pretty face and slinking over to look at the open case file.

Meanwhile, Morgan was engrossed in his own thoughts. What was with the sudden changes in Reid? And Prentiss... could they be together? No... No, that was ridiculous. That would jeopardise the teams dynamics, not to mention risk their jobs. But that wasn't really what was getting to him... if it was Prentiss and Rossi, he'd be happy... hell, if it were Prentiss and anyone he'd be happy for them... so... why wouldn't he be happy for Reid?

'Because. He works too hard and loves this job to much for him to be putting everything on the line. Besides, there are a lot of people who would take advantage of him. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen.' When was this decided? When Reid got some fashion tips? …no. This ran deeper. Morgan was pretty sure he had always felt this way – always wanted to protect Reid, only, there had never been as much for Morgan to protect him from until now... Yes. That was it. Prentiss' accusations were ludicrous and uncalled for. All Morgan wanted was the same as everyone else on the team: to protect their youngest member from pain, hurt and heartbreak – all the things he had seen too much of already in the few years of life he had lived.

Morgan was so busy wrapped in his crude justifications that he hadn't noticed Hotch and JJ pack their sandwiches and take off, leaving only 5 of them in the room. Rossi was discussing theories behind the choice of dumpsites with Prentiss, and Sykes appeared to be almost literally drooling over Reid... and then he saw why.

Spencer was oblivious to the goings on around him, no doubt to wrapped up in the limitless fountain of knowledge that was his mind to care, a small pot of assorted fruits sat before him. A stray piece of rich brown hair was being brushed casually away as a round, blood red cherry was lifted to the full lips of Dr Spencer Reid, who sank his teeth into its tender flesh, tongue darting out to lick the juice from his lips and finger tips. He rang his tongue along the pip and sucked around the little cherry stone, removing it from the fruit before taking it slowly from his lips and popping the rest into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it before casually swallowing and picking up a peach slice. Rossi and Prentiss remained oblivious to the goings on, but there were still two pairs of awed eyes resting on the youngest as he slowly bit into the peach slice, allowing its juices to run down his finger tips before delicately sliding the slice between his lips. Prentiss' eyes drifted to Reid over Rossi's shoulder, and watched the young genius raise his index finger and run his tongue down from finger tip to palm, lapping the juices from his hand and sucking gently on each digit, tongue swirling around his thumb before lightly nibbling on it in deep thought.

Unable to take the confusion that Reid was driving into his mind, Morgan stood muttering something about going to the morgue. Sykes grudgingly followed whilst a bewildered Rossi wondered what he had missed and strode out of the room trying not to reveal any sign of the sulkiness he felt. Prentiss stared on as her friend turned to examine the geographic profile. For a moment she considered commenting, but was left speechless as the socially awkward, timid genius turned with a small, shy smile and said;

"So... uh... was that seductive enough to pass step two?"

"_**Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~Lao Tzu**_

-{\|/}-

_I wasn't going to end it there... but the story decided it had reached a nice close chapter point. Also, I couldn't find the quote I wanted T_T so I settled for this cute one from Lao Tzu :) Sorry it's so short... should I start making my chapters longer? Maybe I should stop worrying about wordcount and just update at whatever length the chapters wish to be? They look long on a word document, but not on the site haha. Well, wish me luck, and please review – I enjoy talking to people ^_^_


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